


We'll figure out the rest later

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Car Accidents, Derek Deserves Nice Things, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Meet, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Meet Differently, Dorks in Love, Eternal Sterek, Friendship, Hurt Stiles, Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Love at First Sight, M/M, Scott is a Good Friend, series au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 02:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14150229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What an idiot.Derek Hale couldn’t help but stare annoyed at the lanky teenager with the impossibly long arms, hands and fingers standing right in front of him, waving busily while he tried to get his point through.His annoyance turned into concern though, when he noticed how freaked out the teenager really was.Or, an AU where Derek and Stiles meet right in the middle of a freak storm and Derek feels his ice cold heart melt.





	We'll figure out the rest later

_What an idiot._

Derek Hale couldn’t help but stare annoyed at the lanky teenager with the impossibly long arms, hands and fingers standing right in front of him, waving busily while he tried to get his point through.

His annoyance turned into concern though, when he noticed how freaked out the teenager really was.

“I’m telling you that I need to get home to my dad, okay?” the teenager spoke, loud enough for most people at the car rental agency to hear.

Fortunately, the office was pretty much empty, as the weather was awful and flights in and out of Beacon Hills were being canceled at the speed of sound and the small rental office had just announced they were going to close up shop for the night. Even so, a few people were still hoping to get transport. Derek knew they were shit out of luck. Not a single rental agency would even dare to rent out cars with this type of weather.

A snow storm was building up fast, turning into a blizzard within the next few hours. On the way over to the small Beacon Hills airport, Derek had listened to the weather forecast with growing annoyance. He was determined to get out of here quickly, but it looked like that wish was not going to be fulfilled tonight.

“Look,” the young man before Derek spoke. “My dad’s feeling okay and I need to get to him tonight. He needs me, I’m not joking. I haven’t seen him in ages. I just flew in from Quantico in a raging storm to sit by his bed. Please don’t do this to me, okay? Beacon Hills hospital is only half an hour away by car. What could possibly happen? Besides, you’ve got insurance, right? I’m all covered.”

“I get that, sir and I get that your dad is in the hospital right now and that you’re anxious,” the woman at the desk explained for the twenty-fifth time, “but there’s a dangerous snowstorm out there and our cars are just not equipped for this type of weather. The fact that this is even happening in California should give you plenty of warning signs already. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until morning. I can give you whatever car you want then, but not right now. There are a few cabs hanging around the airport. Maybe they can help you out?”

“I already tried that. They’re not driving tonight,” the teenager spoke somberly. “Please?”

“Sorry, sir.”

The look on the teenager’s face as he turned around, struck Derek hard. He saw something in the kid’s beautiful eyes that he recognized when he saw in the mirror too sometimes. Defeat. Pure and utter defeat. The kid was horrified he was going to get to that hospital too late. Derek knew what that was like.

“That’s it then,” the teenager muttered, running his hands through his black hair.

Those impossible long fingers shook while he made that gesture, striking Derek once more. The man sighed while he gazed at his watch. He was supposed to take the plane out to New York tonight, but the weather had made that kind of impossible too, so he was going to be stuck here for quite some time, unless he drove back to his uncle’s place or found a hotel. Which meant he would have to drive back into Beacon Hills to do so, since there were no hotels in the area. Beacon Hills airport was just too small for that and the town center was only half an hour away, like the kid had stated himself.

Derek looked at his hand holding the car keys to the sturdy jeep he had rented for the past two weeks, using it during his visit to Beacon Hills after years of absence. He didn’t like this town because it had killed his family and he had no reason to ever come back here, safe for the whole estate-thing he had to deal with at the request of his uncle Peter.

Peter wasn’t exactly the family man, so he couldn’t care less about Derek. Before, the man had always arranged everything financially for Derek, doing a pretty good job of it too. The man was planning to move to Sydney on a permanent basis after he hooked up with an Australian woman who wanted to start a family with Peter.

As a result, Peter had asked Derek to meet up and split the whole paperwork between them, cutting the family’s legacy in half. There was plenty of money, hundreds of millions even, so it wasn’t as if either of them would have to eat one sandwich less.

In a way, Derek was relieved when Peter told him bluntly they would part ways. His uncle was finally moving on, just like Derek had done years ago. The younger man had left Beacon Hills behind him years ago, not looking back once.

The trip home had been odd. It had been a mixture of memories, combined with a disgust against the town. Truth be told, Derek still loved this place and he had many fond memories of it, but he couldn’t face them without his family. Derek had moved on by moving out, but his soul was still stuck here, waiting for something.

“Sir?”

The female desk clerk waved at him. Derek stood debating in front of the desk, looking at the impatient clerk who had already stretched out her hand to retrieve his car keys. A gaze aside told the man that the teenager had dropped his backpack to the floor of the waiting area and now hid his face with both hands. His shoulders were shaking. He was obviously exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Why didn’t this kid have anyone to help him out? Why did he even have to lean onto a rental car to get him into Beacon Hills? He looked like a local. In fact, Derek might have seen him around once or twice when he came to the Sheriff’s office, asking around about new information on the perps who had set fire to his parents’ home. Wasn’t he the sheriff’s son? He was much younger then but those eyes were a dead giveaway. Nobody had honey-colored eyes like this kid. They were unique.

And the sheriff was hurt. Hang on, didn’t Peter just tell him that the sheriff was injured last night during a shootout at the local mall? The man had thrown himself in front of some innocent bystander and shot and was now critically injured at the hospital. Peter had told him about it because the sheriff used to be friends with his mom and he had done everything he could to find her murderers. Unfortunately, there still was no trace of the persons doing this.

“Sir, may I have your car keys please?” the woman asked impatiently.

Derek took his decision right there and then. If not, he would be wondering for the rest of his days what had happened to that poor kid and his dad.

“Actually, I’m going to stick around for a bit longer,” he said, throwing his credit card on a whim on the table.

“For how long?” the woman barked, obviously annoyed at him. She couldn’t demand he return the vehicle since he was already a customer.

“Make it a week,” Derek smirked, noticing her anger while he gazed at the teenager.

The woman seemed to know exactly what he was up to. Derek didn’t even know where all of this came from, but he knew that he couldn’t let that kid sit on that bench like he was doing right now. He needed to do something to help him out. He didn’t want him to face what Derek had faced when he lost his parents: the inability to say goodbye.

The woman made Derek sign the paperwork before closing up shop, demanding that he would leave. Derek turned around and walked over to the wooden bench where the kid had started rummaging through his backpack, obviously looking for his phone.

“Damn it,” the kid muttered when he saw the battery had died on him.

“Here, you can use mine.”

Derek offered his smartphone to the teenager, waving it in front of his nose. The teenager looked up in shock, staring at the man in front of him.

“Thanks, but …”

“I’m serious,” Derek said. “You’re the sheriff’s kid, aren’t you? Sheriff Stilinski? I heard he was shot. You should probably make some calls and see how he’s doing. Maybe get someone to pick you up too?”

“My dad taught me not to take things from strangers,” the teenager muttered, causing Derek to smile lightly.

“I’m not offering you candy or balloons.”

That caused the kid to smile too. The teenager moved his hand hesitantly to reach for the phone slowly and then started pushing the numbers by heart, standing up as he moved away from Derek. He pretended as if he didn’t hear when the kid talked to someone called Melissa and then started weeping again.

Derek gazed at his watch. It was eleven p.m. and his Red Eye was supposed to take off at one a.m., but he already knew he wouldn’t be on it. Even if it flew and the blizzard would unexpectedly die down, the flight would be delayed anyhow. Besides, he just couldn’t leave this kid alone like that. He felt sorry for him, but there was something more. There was a twitch in Derek’s chest and a new kind of feeling he had never felt before.

The kid said his goodbye, turned to Derek and handed him back the phone.

“No need to pretend you didn’t hear all that,” the teenager spoke. “I know you’re a Hale. You’re Derek Hale, aren’t you? The Alpha.”

Derek lifted an eyebrow.

“Do I wear a sign or something?”

“No. My best friend Scott is a werewolf so I have a nose for wolves. Since there are not that many wolves around in town and since you look like your mom, whose face I saw online, I’m taking a wild guess and say that you are him.”

“Your friend is a werewolf too?” Derek asked, lifting an eyebrow. “How come I don’t know about this?”

“He’s keeping it under hiding. Scott was bitten by a Rogue Alpha about six years ago and I kind of figured out what was going on before he even did. I mean, it’s not like we didn’t know that werewolves existed, right? It’s kind of good that all of that is in the open and that humans know about you guys so we can be warned. But, it’s still a shock when it happens to your best friend. I did a lot of research after that night and I’m actually considering becoming an Emissary to a wolf’s Pack and … Oh god, I’m rambling, aren’t I? And I’ve got snot on my face.”

The teenager stopped talking just as quickly as he started it, catching the cautious gazes of the people around them. Yes, werewolves were known to mankind, but it’s not like people were openly discussing them. That was still a bridge too far for many. Fear existed and breathed in towns like this. Places that were heavily occupied by supernatural creatures.

It was one of the many reasons why Derek took off to New York in the first place. He had become part of a community of wolves but kept to himself all the time. He didn’t even have a real pack, unless you counted Erica, Boyd and Isaac, who were the closest to friends he had.

The teenager wiped his face with a handkerchief provided by Derek, smiled and offered his hand.

“Stiles Stilinski at your service.”

“Stiles?”

“Don’t ask,” Stiles muttered. “You wouldn’t be able to say my real name.”

“Let me guess: Polish or Russian or something?”

“Polish. I had the bad fortune of having a grandfather with that same name. Pronounceable in Poland but not over here, I’m afraid.”

“Got it,” Derek smiled, taking an immediate liking to the lanky teenager. “Take your bag and let’s go.”

Stiles froze and stared at the man in wonder.

“Go? Go where?”

“To Beacon Hills of course. I’m driving you to the hospital.”

Derek waved the keys to the jeep he had rented and nodded at Stiles’ backpack.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite,” he sniggered.

Stiles groaned at the joke before grabbing his bag and following Derek outside, feeling the eyes of the desk clerk and her colleagues pierce his back. The teenager obviously had no idea what was going on, but Derek knew the teenager would not miss out on this opportunity. Stiles obviously knew on instinct who to trust. The perfect ingredient for an Emissary.

Something twitched inside Derek’s chest once again. He shook his head lightly and headed over the parking lot to the jeep. It was freezing cold out and the blizzard was obviously not even at its peak yet, but Derek couldn’t care less. He wanted to help this kid and he would do so. Every single nerve in him screamed at him not to let go. He didn’t get it.

“Get in,” Derek shouted over the wind.

Stiles already slipped in before he could even finish those two small words. The teenager buckled up while he shoved his backpack between his legs, keeping it close to him. Derek handed Stiles back his own phone, since he didn’t have a cable on him to charge Stiles’. It remained useless in his backpack.

“Call your friend Scott and tell him that we’re coming.”

“He’s not here, which is why he couldn’t pick me up in the first place,” Stiles sighed. “Melissa’s at the hospital and I didn’t want to bother her with my problems too much. She’s already working hard to keep my father alive. My dad is obviously still passed out and hooked on machines and his deputy Parrish is running the station right now. They’ve got their hands full on saving people in this blizzard, so asking for someone to pick me up wasn’t really an option either. I told Melissa I would find a way.”

“Where is your friend Scott then?”

“He’s driving over from UCLA as we speak, but it’s going slowly,” Stiles said. “He insisted on coming over when he heard about my dad, even though I told him not to bother. He’s like my brother, so of course he couldn’t resist.”

“Driving, huh?”

“Yep. His car is fortunately about your size or I would have told him to head back home. Scott told me I was absolutely nuts taking a flight to get here in this weather,” Stiles sighed. “He always keeps on saying I’ll end up killing myself one day, but I just couldn’t leave my dad hanging around like that, you know? My dad is my world and I already feel guilty as hell for studying at Quantico while he’s here getting shot by some lowlife crook that wants to rob a convenience store. All my other friends are scattered all over the country studying. I couldn’t just call them and ask them to come back and be by my side. All I’ve got left over here, is Melissa. How pathetic is that?”

“Stiles, relax,” Derek spoke calmly, sensing the teenager needed someone to ground him. “Send him a text message and tell him I’m taking you straight to the hospital, okay?”

Stiles sniffed and reached for the phone, tapping in a short message that explained what was going on.

“God, I’m so pathetic,” Stiles sighed again. “You are being so nice to me while I don’t even know anything about you. You are the sweetest person ever, Derek. I’m whining about my dad and I just can’t seem to stop shaking.”

On instinct, Derek put his hand on Stiles’ wrist, calming the teenager down immediately for the second time. Stiles looked up in his eyes, finally bursting into tears again while he shook his head. He was obviously in shock, feeling the stress and fear over his dad wash over him.

“You’ll be fine, Stiles,” Derek whispered, while keeping an eye on the road. “Your dad’s going to be fine too, I promise. He’ll be okay.”

“Is he thought? My dad might die, Derek, and I wasn’t there to protect him because I took one extra year specializing in the supernatural. God, I wanted to be Fox Mulder and now I’ll be an orphan. I couldn’t even get Scott here on time to give him the bite in case he needs it.”

“Scott’s an Alpha?” Derek asked surprised.

Stiles nodded.

“But …”

“He’s a True Alpha,” Stiles quickly explained. “He did some good stuff to protect Beacon Hills and was rewarded for it. By the time he was bitten, you were gone and your uncle Peter didn’t really care. Scott somehow seemed to do stuff that fell into someone’s good grace, so he was rewarded like that.”

“That’s great, Stiles,” Derek smiled, feeling some sort of strange reassurance now.

Beacon Hills had its own Alpha when he was gone, this kid said. It made Derek feel less guilty over leaving town. To their great shock, it wasn’t Peter who became the Alpha after Talia Hale, Derek’s mom, died. It went to Derek, the first descendant in their bloodline.

Derek’s oldest sister Laura had died in the fire too, alongside the rest of their family, apart from Peter. Derek had always assumed that his uncle would get the title and the responsibilities, but he never did.

Peter must have known about the True Alpha in town, but he never told Derek about him. He probably wanted to avoid an Alpha-fight. He shouldn’t have worried: Derek was not the fighting type. He just wanted rest and peace of mind.

“Your dad’s not dead, Stiles,” Derek reassured him. “He’s still alive and he’s holding on and he doesn’t blame you for anything. You weren’t the one pulling that trigger, you know. You were on the other side of the country. Don’t put yourself down like that. Do you really think your dad would want that?”

“No. But, if he’s really going to die, I want Scott to give him the bite. It might be the only chance he’s got left,” Stiles whispered.

Stiles sniffed and looked down on his shaking hands. Outside, the weather got worse. Derek knew that they would normally reach the hospital in less than ten minutes, but this was not normal. He wanted to get a move on and get the kid to the hospital. And maybe then, if the sheriff was really deathly injured, Derek could offer him the bite instead of Scott.

Derek felt a sudden urge to get to the hospital fast. He debated which road to take, finally choosing the road through the preserve, as it would cut down their driving time considerably. He steered the vehicle over the concrete road that cut the preserve in two and focused on the darkness, using his headlights and his own vision to see through the unlit darkness.

“Talk to me, Stiles,” the Alpha urged the teenager. “Do you think your dad would want you to be this upset?”

“No. He would want me to stay strong and remember that I wasn’t to blame,” Stiles whispered.

“Good.”

Stiles looked up at the man behind the steering wheel.

“Why are you being so nice to me, Derek? You don’t even know me. You were supposed to take a flight to wherever it is you were going, right? Why did you change your mind? Why are you taking me back here?”

“Because I know what it’s like to feel so lost and so guilty,” Derek whispered.

Stiles frowned, but he never got the chance to ask his next question. Out of nowhere, as they drove over the bridge, lightning struck the tree on the other side of the bridge, standing on its right side.

Derek held his breath as he saw it happening and knew he had made a big mistake. He had taken Stiles over the wrong path. He had chosen the road through the preserve because it was a shortcut. But by doing so, he had also increased the danger. The car swerved over the slippery cobbles. The bridge was small and too dangerous right now. Derek pushed his breaks, feeling the tires slip away.

The tree was cut in half, with one part hitting the small river shore next to it. The other half threatened to fall on top of the jeep. It would fall straight on Stiles if it hit them and the breaks and tires wouldn’t work with him anymore.

In panic, Derek pulled at his steering and steered the jeep to the left, pushing the gas pedal in a desperate attempt to get out of the falling tree’s way. The speed of the vehicle allowed the jeep to crash straight through the brick stone wall protecting the road from the river. Derek hoped that it would also be enough to send them over the water and onto the shore.

Stiles gasped, but he never screamed, shouted or burst out in fear. He sat unmoving, bracing himself for impact. For one long moment, they seemed to be flying through the air. The next, Derek felt pain and a pang of regret when he realized his plan had failed as they crashed face forward into the water.

After that, the world turned black.

 

***

“Stiles.”

Derek groaned while he looked up. He was woken up at the sound of icy cold water entering the jeep at alarming rate. It seemed to be flowing through the vehicle freely, pushing against the metal.

There was blood on the steering wheel and pain in Derek’s head, but he knew that the cut on his forehead would heal rapidly. The pain was already subsiding. It took him just a second to figure out what had happened, but he had no idea how long he had been out cold. It must have been at least a minute or so.

What troubled Derek more, was that the jeep was lying on its right side in the water, enough for the passenger side to be fully submerged. Derek was hanging in the air, held back by the seatbelt which kept him in his seat. The car was tilted completely on the passenger side. Derek remained untouched by the cold water.

Stiles on the other hand, was fully submerged. He drifted, strapped by his seatbelt, in the water, unmoving. His head and face were fully underwater too. Derek could hear a very slow, sluggish heartbeat and that was about it. Stiles was completely out of it. He was drowning or had already drowned. His heart could stop beating every second now.

“Oh god, no.”

Derek’s claws moved fast and swiftly, cutting his seatbelt in half. He braced himself in order not to fall on top of Stiles while he pushed his form from beneath the steering wheel, efficiently moving his legs, feet, hands and arms while he sought out the best way to stand upright in the jeep without falling on top of the unmoving, unconscious teenager or having the vehicle tilt again.

Finding a stable position, Derek leaned forward firmly and used his claws to cut Stiles free too, grabbing the teenager tight in his arms to tilt his face, thus also freeing his airways. Fortunately, Stiles’ legs were not trapped in steel, so Derek could easily lift him up.

The kid hardly weighed anything, allowing Derek to hold him up firmly with one arm over his chest, while he pushed hard with his free arm against the closed door above him. He used the strength and muscle in his shoulder, arm and back to do so.

With two large pushes, the door flung up, allowing the cold wind in and the wolf out. Derek still held onto Stiles with one arm over his chest, making sure he wouldn’t fall back into the water. The snow storm was at its top peak now, blowing sharp wind against Derek and Stiles.

The wolf knew he had to protect Stiles from even more cold, so he used his own body as a shield. With another effort, Derek lifted Stiles up high enough so that he rested against the wolf’s chest. Then he dragged the teenager out of the jeep and on top of the steel, again balancing himself firmly.

The car fortunately got stuck between two rocks, making sure it didn’t drift in the river. It was a miracle on its own that Stiles had not received the blunt of the accident. If the jeep had crashed on one of those rocks, Stiles would not have survived at all.

No, Derek didn’t want to think about that. He needed to focus and save the kid that he had met not even an hour ago. That was all that mattered right now. He needed to find help _now_. The fact that Stiles lay lifeless in his arms without as much as a groan, said enough. Before, the kid couldn’t stop talking and now he wouldn’t even respond.

Derek’s phone drifted in the water. He saw that while he lifted Stiles out of the jeep. He then moved the teenager into his arms bridal style while he jumped off the jeep and searched for a path over the slippery rocks. The teenager’s head lolled against his chest.

Stiles was not dead. The heartbeat reassured Derek that he still lived, but he wasn’t sure how badly injured the teenager was. He had a gash in his hairline, but other than that, there were no physical injuries.

It was the cold that was slowly but firmly killing him. He had been submerged long in the ice water. The kid felt freezingly cold in his grip. His lips were tinted blue and his skin tone had turned ashen. He was in very bad shape.

Derek knew that the kid needed medical help immediately, but he had no way of calling for help and it would take him about fifteen minutes on foot to reach the building, at least. With this blizzard and the storm and lightning, maybe even twenty to twenty-five. He wasn’t so sure Stiles had that long.

The teenager was like a popsicle, frozen through and through. Derek didn’t need to be a doctor to see that. The blue lips and the greyish skin color frightened the Alpha. He looked around, wrecking his brain. If he couldn’t get him to the hospital, he needed to get him somewhere warm, but the nearest house was miles away too.

Derek knew the area of course. After all, he grew up here. His parents’ home had been just a few miles off the road, but it was long gone. There was a shack nearby. He could get Stiles there and into safety for now. He could give him mouth-to-mouth, revive him and prevent hypothermia somehow.

Twenty minutes weren’t going to cut it to save the teenager’s life. He only had a few minutes before death claimed the kid. Making his decision, Derek took off and ran in the direction of the old shack he used to hide in with Peter when they were playing games with their family.  Stiles lay broken and still in his arms.

God, Derek’s heart broke too. He didn’t really want to go there, but he had to. He would have to cut through the memories and filter out his emotions for now if he wanted to save Stiles. He had to save him, because this was his fault.

The teenager still lay unmoving in Derek’s arms when the Alpha reached the shack, pushing it open with all his might. The door and walls were sturdy and would withhold against the storm for now. Wind hardly got the chance to get in, which was good. This would have to do it for now.

Immediately, Derek set to work. He placed Stiles gently on the stone floor and lifted his face so he could perform mouth-to-mouth. The faint heartbeat was still present, comforting Derek that the teenager was at least still alive. He pinched Stiles’ nose and lifted his chin while he breathed into his airways, making sure he did it in the right position.

“Come on, Stiles,” he whispered, mostly to himself. “Please don’t do this to me. Wake up, kid, come on!”

Derek repeated this gesture multiple times, giving CPR a few times too, despite the sluggish heartbeat that was still present. He wanted to get Stiles’ heart jumpstart again. He was careful not to use too much of his strength as he knew he would end up cracking ribs and making it even worse.

Stiles coughed and opened his eyes, staring at Derek with something of recognition in the pupils. The shack was dark, but Derek used his Alpha-eyes to see the teenager. They were like glow in the dark, but they didn’t scare Stiles at all. He seemed to know exactly what was going on.

Without saying another word, Stiles passed out again. Derek could have wept with joy though. He knew the teenager would be fine, if he could get him out of those wet clothes and into warmth first. Even in his unconsciousness, Stiles was shivering like crazy.

Derek cursed himself for taking the quick route to the hospital. He was to blame for this, so he felt. Here they were now, in deep shit. He had nothing on him to dress the teenager in except for the clothes he had on himself and he needed to make sure he didn’t suffer hypothermia either if he wanted to help Stiles.

There were no warm clothes around to replace the wet ones and it would still take twenty minutes to bring Stiles to the hospital, which meant he could still die of hypothermia. Stiles wasn’t out of the woods yet, no pun intended.

Then he remembered the jeep. The vehicle was tilted on his side in the water, but the trunk had been out of reach of the river’s flow and he had his bags of clothes in there. With any luck he could recover his things and use them to warm the kid up. It would keep him safe until the fear for hypothermia was over. Then he could carry him to the hospital.

“Stiles.”

Derek knelt down by the teenager, hoping he would hear him.

“Stiles, I need to run back to the car and get clothes to warm you up. I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t go anywhere, kid.”

Stiles didn’t react. He kept his eyes closed while shivering so badly Derek thought he would lose his teeth. Then the shivering stopped all of a sudden, which was even worse. Stiles was in very bad shape right now. His body was slowly succumbing to the cold.

Derek once again cursed himself. His phone was useless and nobody even knew where they were or what was going on. They were alone and he had to save the kid he had tried to help by offering him a ride. God, what if he ended up killing him instead?

Without hesitation, Derek ran outside and rushed like crazy through the woods back to the car, making sure to avoid any obstacles that would harm him. If something happened to him now, Stiles was surely dead, so Derek took caution while returning to the jeep.

The wolf sighed in relief when he noticed the vehicle was still on its side where he had left it. Sturdiness indeed. The desk clerk would be so furious right now. Derek easily climbed onto the trunk and pried it open with his wolfish strength.

His bags were not wet at all, protected from the water through the thick steel. Finally, he was in luck for once. Derek pulled both bags out and ran back to the shack, hoping and praying not to find Stiles succumbed to hypothermia.

He was still breathing when Derek get in. The Alpha immediately set to work. He opened his bag and used a few warm sweaters to lay out a bed for the teenager to lie down on when he would be undressed.

More of Derek’s warm clothes would be used to cover him. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Derek wasn’t the type to wear very warm clothes due to his own heightened bodily warmth, but he had automatically shoved some in his bag when he packed up to get to Beacon Hills. Years of New York winters did that to a man. Even Derek felt cold now and then.

“Stiles,” he said, “I’m going to undress you now, okay?”

Stiles didn’t react. Derek set to work, pulling down the teenager’s jeans and boxers in one haul, ignoring the teenager’s private parts and privacy for the moment while he continued to undress the teenager’s upper half. He removed his coat while Stiles leaned into his chest. With one haul of his claws, Derek removed Stiles’ soaking wet T-shirt and hoodie, leaving him naked on the ground.

Then he lifted the icy cold teenager gently and placed him carefully on the warm bed made of sweaters, while rubbing him dry with a T-shirt. Stiles’ hair stuck in several directions while Derek continued with the rest of him. Stiles’ skin felt alarmingly cold, causing Derek to flinch briefly when he realized the teenager really was in bad shape.

Derek knew that naked skin to skin contact was the best way to stop hypothermia, but he didn’t have warm blankets to cover them up with and he had to work with whatever he had. Getting undressed right now seemed like a bad thing to do and he didn’t have time to contemplate his decisions too much.

Derek took out briefs from his own bag and moved them over Stiles’ legs, covering his private parts up quickly. Next came a warm pair of black sweatpants, followed by three sets of socks, two t-shirts and two sweaters. Derek didn’t have an extra jacket or a hoodie on him, so this would have to do for now.

Fortunately, the teenager was a lot smaller than he was, making it easier to dress him in several layers of clothing. Derek didn’t put gloves on Stiles nor his own coat. Instead, he lifted Stiles into his arms until the teenager sat in his lap.

Derek pulled the sweaters lying on the ground over them both, tucking Stiles in as much as he could and started rubbing the teenager’s hands and wrists. He hoped that the three pairs of socks were enough to save the teenager’s toes.

Stiles lay quietly in his arms, puffing small breaths in his throat. He was breathing regularly, but his heartbeat was still quite sluggish. Derek rocked the teenager back and forth gently, whispering senseless words to him while rubbing his hands.

Wolves had a higher body temperature than humans did and Derek removed his coat and sweater after a while, moving it over Stiles’ form instead. This way he could make sure that Stiles picked up some of his bodily warmth through the thick layers of clothing.

“You’ll be fine,” Derek whispered against Stiles’ hair, feeling his wolf battle the fear he didn’t want to admit to himself. “I can’t lose you like this.”

“You won’t.”

Stiles’ croaking voice shook Derek to the core. He hadn’t even noticed the teenager had woken up. He smiled against Stiles’ hair, continuing to rock and rub his hands and wrists. Stiles’ skin slowly seemed to get a bit warmer. Stiles had started shaking again, which was actually a good sign considering the circumstances.

“God, don’t ever do that to me again,” Derek sighed. “I thought you’d gone.”

Stiles moved his hands and arms closer to Derek, relishing the warmth he felt as he leaned even closer into the wolf. Finally, without hesitation, he moved his arms around Derek’s back, moving them beneath the fabric to touch skin upon skin.

Derek felt warmth and care run through him like blood through veins. He didn’t get what was happening to him, but he knew he had never felt anything like it before. He never wanted this feeling to end.

“I thought I’d gone too,” Stiles whispered. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Derek groaned. “I brought you in danger in the first place.”

“Not your fault that stupid tree got in the way,” Stiles murmured.

“I wanted to take the fast route.”

“You did the right thing. Stop blaming yourself.”

“Stop talking now, Stiles,” Derek soothed him, gazing at his watch. “Save your strength, since I need you to stay with me now and focus on what we have to do next, okay? My phone drowned on us and there’s no way to get help here, so I’m going to have to carry you to the hospital now, okay? You need immediate help and I can’t get you that here. Now that you’re awake and a bit warmed up, I’m hoping we can make the journey to the hospital. The blizzard seems to have calmed down a bit too.”

“I’ll be safe with you,” Stiles whispered, leaning heavily into Derek.

His voice slightly slurred, which didn’t get past Derek. Immediately, he worried again.

“Don’t fall asleep on me again, okay?” Derek urged. “Try to keep your eyes open, Stiles. You have to stay focused.”

“Hard,” Stiles murmured. “Tired, Der.”

Stiles’ words cut through Derek’s heart. Nobody had ever given him a nickname before. He didn’t even know if Stiles had done it on purpose, or because he was too tired to use his full name. Whichever way, Derek knew he couldn’t lose this kid. A big part of him would die then too.

Derek allowed Stiles to sit on the stone ground again, moving him with his back against the wall so he couldn’t lie down. He then picked up the warmest sweater and moved it over Stiles’ head gently, forcing his arms through the sleeves. Stiles barely stayed awake for that part.

Then he added his coat and the gloves in the bag he never wore anywhere but in New York, meant to be used when he touched down at Newark, followed by a thick scarf that was also only meant for New York winters.

Derek used it as a hat, wrapping it around Stiles’ head to keep his hair, neck and throat covered. By the time he was done, Stiles looked like he was wrapped up like a mummy. He was still shivering.

“So sexy,” Stiles murmured with a smile in his voice.

“Always.”

Derek instinctively gave Stiles a peck on his forehead, ignoring the teenager’s wonder as he did, pulled two sweaters over his head and lifted Stiles up bridal style again. The kid didn’t even comment that he could walk on his own account, thus giving his self-respect to Derek without hesitation.

The wolf left the rest of his bags there to pick up later. He couldn’t care less about his stuff right now. With the teenager in his arms, protected against the blizzard’s last efforts to make an impression, Derek left the cabin and started the long walk to the town’s hospital.

 

***

 

“Sing me a song, Stiles.”

Derek could feel Stiles’ body leaning further into him. He could even feel the kid’s long eyelashes droop against his throat. No wonder, Stiles was being rocked back and forth in a steady pace as Derek walked as fast as he could through the preserve without shaking Stiles up too much.

The teenager was wrapped against Derek as if he were put inside a cocoon, but the skin of his face still felt cold to the touch.

“Can’t sing,” Stiles murmured drowsily.

“Yes, you can. Sing whatever you want,” Derek urged.

“Spice girls?”

“Really?” Derek snorted. “You have a repertoire of a zillion songs out there and you choose The Spice Girls?”

“They’re underestimated,” Stiles slurred.

“Okay then, sing the Spice Girls for me.”

Stiles took a deep breath and croaked out some words that were supposed to be part of the _Wannabe_ -song but came out sounding like ducks being slaughtered. Derek snorted, lifted Stiles up in a better position and kept on moving at the pace of the song he could hear inside his own head now.

He found himself murmuring the words to the song too, his voice growing louder in the hope Stiles would laugh and tell him he sucked. When he didn’t, Derek looked down to find Stiles passed out in his arms. The teenager didn’t move when he called out his name.

“God, no,” Derek said, debating whether to make a run for it, or to settle Stiles down on the ground and try to shake him awake again. He was so scared his heart would give up on them, but every second he wasted now, would be a second without medical help.

Derek decided that keep on going was the best thing right now since they were halfway to the hospital, but Stiles’ heartbeat was so slow that he knew he was losing the battle. Derek bit his lip, grunted out loud and started walking even faster, not caring about the rocking of Stiles’ still form now that the teenager was out cold.

He moved on like crazy, until every single muscle in his body twitched and he became out of breath. They were nearly by the end of the preserve, reaching the main road. There, someone just had to see him. The blizzard was dying out and the wind was slowing down its nasty pace, which had to count for something. Why the hell did he lose his phone? He should have held onto the stupid thing.

“Stiles, come on,” Derek spoke urgently. “Don’t you dare give up on me now, man. Come on!”

Car lights behind Derek suddenly lit the whole area. The vehicle came from the preserve, taking the same trail as they had. Derek turned around to find a SUV, about the size of his own jeep, stopped right behind them. A lean figure stepped out and ran towards them quickly.

“Stiles? Oh god, Stiles, is that him?”

The young man, about Stiles’ age, with a crooked jaw and the darkest eyes Derek had ever seen, looked frantically from Derek to the still form in his arms.

“You’re Scott,” Derek spoke relieved. “You got Stiles’ message.”

“I did. I arrived at the hospital and you guys weren’t there, so I took off to search for you straightaway while my mom called Parrish to start looking for you too. I found the jeep in the river and then sniffed Stiles’ scent towards the cabin, where I found his wet clothes and some bags, which I assume are yours. I figured you guys would take the route through the preserve as it was the shortest way to the hospital. This would be so typically him.”

“You thought well,” Derek spoke urgently, even though he had been the one taking the route. “Stiles drowned after the crash. He’s severely hypothermic. His phone was dead and mine fell into the water. I’m trying to keep him warm with my clothes and body heat. We need to get him to the hospital right now.”

“Get in the backseat,” Scott said. “I’ll call my mom and warn her.”

Derek could have wept when Scott helped him to gently lift Stiles into the backseat of the SUV, where the oldest wolf kept Stiles close to him, warming him up as much as he could. Scott called his mom while driving the last few miles to the hospital like crazy, taking risks not even Derek would have taken. It told him how much Stiles meant to this kid. He liked him already.

Scott practically threw his car in front of the Emergency Entrance, followed by a woman with black curly hair running outside with several people in tow. They brought a gurney with them. Derek moved out of the car with Stiles still in his arms. The medical staff took over, instantly placing warm blankets over the teenager while they placed him on the gurney.

“Let’s get him inside. Get the heat blankets and a heat-IV ready, stat,” the woman barked. She then moved a hand over Stiles’ forehead and kissed him there gently. “You’ll be fine, kiddo.”

“That’s my mom, Melissa,” Scott said with a weak smile, watching Derek’s confusion. “Stiles and I practically grew up as brothers. She’s his dad’s best friend. She loves Stiles like a son.”

“That’s good,” Derek muttered, feeling the fatigue take over his limbs. He was so beat.

“Come on, Derek, let’s get you inside,” Scott said, placing a friendly arm over the wolf’s shoulders. “You saved his life, man. I owe you big time.”

“I also brought him in danger by taking that route,” Derek muttered.

“By the looks of it, that wasn’t you, but a blizzard and a tree that stood in the way of your jeep,” Scott commented dryly. “Come on, let’s get you something warm to drink.”

They walked inside the Emergency Room, where Melissa and her crew were working on Stiles. He was again stripped and then fully covered in heat blankets, while an IV pushed warm fluids into him. Derek knew that they would have to warm him up slowly in order to make sure his heart didn’t give out due to sudden shock.

Scott brought Derek a coffee and then settled down next to him in the waiting room, while they waited for further news on Stiles’ condition.

“God, the sheriff!”

Derek moved up with a shock, remembering why they had come here in the first place. He had almost forgotten about all of that and Stiles had been too tired to even talk about it after the car crash.

“He’s fine. Noah woke up an hour ago and asked for Stiles,” Scott told him. “He’s going to be just fine. They’re both okay, Derek. Relax now and take it easy. You’ve had quite a shock yourself.”

Derek relaxed when he heard the good news before staring at his shaking hands. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Here he was, sitting at the ER, waiting for a teenager he had met about two hours ago. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Should he stay or should he go? Stiles would probably hardly even remember him after all of this was over.

“Scott?” Melissa came over to them with a smile on her face. “He’s awake and he’s asking for Derek.”

The woman turned to the oldest wolf.

“That’s you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it looks like you saved my second son, which makes you a hero in my eyes. He’s asking for you and he won’t go to sleep until he’s spoken to you, so you’d better go in there. Oh, and Scott, he doesn’t know you’re here, so why don’t you go in there with Derek and surprise him?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Scott grinned broadly.

“Is he going to be okay?” Derek asked cautiously.

“He’s going to be absolutely fine, thanks to you,” Melissa smiled. “You did great keeping him alive with your warm clothes, Derek. We could use people like you in here. You have your head screwed on straight.”

Derek allowed a smile to take over his face. He hesitated though. What was he supposed to say when he saw Stiles again? They were strangers after all. He had no right to be here. Stiles should be with his dad and friends.”

“Come on, big guy.”

Scott again took the lead. He patted the wolf on his back and practically dragged him into the small cubicle where Stiles lay, covered in blankets and with an IV still pushed into his arm. The teenager’s eyes were closed and he looked so pale Derek thought Melissa had made a mistake. He was dead. But then those magnificent eyes looked up and Stiles smiled broadly, reaching out to Derek with his free hand. Instinctively, Derek took Stiles’ hand into his.

“Hey, Der,” the teenager croaked, his voice sounding better than before.

“Hey, Stiles,” Derek reacted softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I swallowed gallons of ice water. Scott? Hey man, you made it!”

“Even more, he found us,” Derek smiled. “Scott saved your life, Stiles. He brought us here.”

“After you saved him first, Derek,” Scott reacted instantly, giving Stiles a firm hug. “Dude, you’ve got to stop causing trouble like that. So glad to see you up and about. You gave us all quite a scare.”

“Sorry about that. My dad’s okay, did you know that? He woke up an hour ago,” Stiles spoke happily. “He’s alive and okay.”

“As are you,” Melissa said, walking back in the room. “I’ll see if we can move you two into one room together. How does that sound?”

“Like a plan,” Stiles whispered, again with that crooked voice.

“After you get some sleep first,” Melissa said firmly. “You need it, Stiles. Get some rest.”

“Can I … Scott, would you mind …?”

Stiles looked at Scott with those beautiful eyes that would never take no for an answer. Derek saw that straight away.

“Of course not, dude,” Scott said, taking his mom outside.

Derek remained awkwardly behind, realizing only then that he was still holding Stiles’ hand. Then again, the teenager didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, his fingers were stroking the skin on top of Derek’s hand gently.

“Derek,” Stiles began softly. “Do you believe in love at first sight? Because I never did. I never thought it was real and that it was utter bullshit and then …”

“Then we met at the car rental agency and you did believe in it,” Derek stopped him softly. “It was the moment that I started believing in it too.”

“You did? Oh. That’s good news then, isn’t it? That’s …”

Derek stopped Stiles by leaning forward and kissing him gently, feeling Stiles’ lips part immediately under his touch. His lips weren’t cold anymore.

“That is very good news,” Derek smiled, still holding his hand.

For now, it was all they needed. The rest, they would figure out later.

 

 

The End

 

 


End file.
